Page 99 of Lunar Diamonds
His forehead creased slightly, no verbal response coming.
“If you need a minute, we can?—”
“I don’t need a minute.” His eyes narrowed as he dipped his head.
“Everything good?” Isaac inquired.
“Yes,” Drake answered curtly.
Crap. I’d upset him. It was becoming clear he didn’t relish the thought of going into these catacombs. More afraid than me.
Did he have a fear of the dark? Small spaces? Should I ask him?
Isaac patted my shoulder. “What’s up?”
“Nothing.”
“Sure?”
“Yeah.”
Drake moved forward. I followed, Isaac and Alice forming a line behind me as we moved through a narrow tunnel. The rocks were slippery and slimy, so we took our time navigating the darkness.
Step by step, the temperature warmed, the roar of the sea falling behind us. The black rocks around me closed in, the ceiling becoming lower. I ducked as we turned a corner, keeping my eyes on Drake for any signs of panic. He appeared to be fine, determined even.
Ginkgo powder worked miracles.
As the walls and ceiling widened again, we were stopped by a heavy iron gate halfway down the curving tunnel. A heavy, padlocked chain strangled the bolt.
Drake stepped aside to allow Alice to pick the lock. She did so with impressive speed, pulling the gate open with a dramatic flourish.
“After thee. Or is it thou?” she said.
Isaac snorted with laughter. “Fuck knows.”
It squeaked and scraped along the ground, my teeth on edge from the sound.
A series of anemic yellow lights lit the rest of the route beyond the gate. At the end of a long stretch of tunnel, we reached a hub area with a metal door and a second tunnel.
The door was heavily locked and bolted with a load of warnings plastered across it. Closed access to the sewers, apparently. Strictly prohibited. A gray power box sat beside it, humming gently, a single Hecate Crystal beside it.
“Why bother providing energy to a disused area?” Isaac asked.
“The city council aren’t known for managing their yearly budget well,” Alice answered. “Stupid dinosaurs can’t find their way around a decent policy.”
She sounded like my stepdad.
I expected Drake to nod at the other, open tunnel. But he passed a hand over a section of wall close to the sewer entrance. “This way.”
It just looked like wall to me, no matter how hard I stared. “Is there something there?”
“Magic,” he said.
I moved closer, Isaac grabbing my arm. “Be careful. We don’t know what it is.”
Drake crouched, touching the ground, his fingertips turning bright blue. “Give me a minute to see if I can find anything else.”
Isaac released my arm, his eyes on the ceiling. “This place feels wrong.”
